FAQs About the Ocean & Conservation

What is conservation and why is ocean conservation important?

Conservation, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is the protection of something. In terms of nature, conservation involves management aimed at preventing destruction caused by overuse or neglect. 

Why is conservation important? Even if you’ve never seen the ocean, your life is impacted on a daily basis by the ocean. The ocean is of utmost importance for all living things. Among other things, the ocean produces 50-80% of Earth’s oxygen and sustainable protein for more than a billion people and contains many ingredients used in medicinal and cosmetic products. 

For additional information, check out the Women Mind the Water story: Should I care about the ocean?

Why is ocean conservation a problem?

The ocean is really large. It covers more than 70 percent of our planet Earth. That’s a lot of area to protect! Destructive practices become largely invisible on that scale. More than 80 percent of the ocean remains unexplored but we do know that the ocean faces many threats from such things as an increasing assault of trash and toxins, overfishing, global warming and ocean acidification. Conservation efforts are often portrayed as at odds with commercial practices such as fishing, mining and oil exploration, and transportation; these often conflict with efforts to protect the ocean from destruction.

Women Mind the Water is dedicated to raising awareness about the ocean and her creatures. Through stories and art we hope to inspire ocean advocacy. For inspiring stories and art check out the Women Mind the Water Artivist Series podcast.

How can I do my part to help protect the ocean?

Change begins at home. Engage with local and state officials to ask them to enact and enforce laws that reduce plastic and other forms of pollution. Support green energy initiatives. Volunteer for beach cleanups, participate in other conservation programs and do your part to raise awareness of the importance of protecting the ocean. Reduce your personal use of plastic, disposable products, and water. Seek ways to reduce your dependence on oil and gas and replace them with green forms of energy.

What are the biggest threats to the ocean?

Many believe that the biggest threat to the ocean is plastic pollution. See the article What’s the problem with plastic it’s recyclable and what has this got to do with the ocean? The production of plastic requires oil as do our cars and trucks and the power plants that help to run our homes, offices, and factories. Without a reduction in the exploration and use of oil, gasses will continue to be released that contribute to global warming. Plastic waste is often buried or burned and too much of it is washed out or directly dumped into the sea. Ocean plastic contributes to the death of fish, birds, mammals, undermines natural food webs and puts at risk the protein that at least a billion people depend on. Eventually, plastic ends up in our bodies and negatively impacts our health. Additional threats to the ocean include overfishing, oil and gas exploration, and noise pollution.

How does all the trash get into the ocean?

Littering isn’t the only way trash ends up in the ocean. Trash can be carried by rain and wind into storm drains and transported by rivers that eventually flow into the sea. Trash may be dumped directly into the ocean and it is flushed down the toilet. Even small, well-meant actions, like balloon launches can become trash that eventually ends up in the ocean. 

Many different types of trash enter the ocean but plastic makes up the majority of it because it’s used in so many consumer and industrial products. Furthermore, it does not biodegrade; instead, it breaks down into smaller and smaller and smaller pieces. Check out Wo(men) Mind the Water podcast with Dianna Cohen, Founder of the Plastic Pollution Coalition.

One source of plastic pollution we don’t generally think about are microfibers. Microfibers are the breakdown products of synthetic clothing, fishing nets, and all plastic item given time.  Microfibers, microplastic fragments, and microbeads may be inadvertently eaten by birds, fish, even shellfish. Eventually these microplastics end up in our body. Plastics aren’t healthy for any living thing.

Is there really an island of plastic waste floating in the Pacific?

Yes and no. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch or Pacific trash vortex is an accumulation of plastic that covers more than 617-thousand square miles from the West Coast of North America to Japan. While the name may evoke an image of an island of trash floating on the ocean it is actually a diffuse area almost entirely made up of tiny bits of plastic intermixed with larger items such as fishing gear, plastic bottles, even shoes. The majority, about 80 percent, is thought to come from land-based sources. Check out Women Mind the Water podcast with Pam Longobardi who has been to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and creates art with the reclaimed plastic.

Does recycling really help reduce plastic pollution in the ocean?

Even plastics labeled recyclable are rarely recycled. The vast majority is either carelessly discarded, deposited in a landfill, or incinerated, meaning it goes up in smoke. It is estimated that 55 percent of global plastic waste is simply thrown out. Another 25 percent of plastic is incinerated and only 20 percent is recycled. But wait, this isn’t the whole story.

Just because a product has the recycling symbol – three arrows in a circular pattern – it doesn't mean it can be recycled. The numbers inside the recycle symbol identify the type of plastic. Even when plastic is collected by a recycler, it may not be recycled . The determining factor for whether plastics are recycled is the economy for recyclable materials or the lack of infrastructure to sustain the effort.

The solution? We must reduce global demand for and us of plastic. Without this reduction oil will continue to be produced, gases will continue to be released into the air, and there will be an even greater need to bury and burn plastic waste and more will wash out or dumped in the sea. Check out our article What’s the problem with plastic?